Optical fiber beam combiner

Abstract

The utility model relates to an optical fiber beam combiner, which comprises optical fibers, a packaging substrate made of quartz materials and a shell made of metal materials. The optical fiber comprises an active optical fiber and a pumping optical fiber; the pumping optical fiber is coupled with the active optical fiber in series; the pumping optical fiber is connected with the active optical fiber through side coupling. Therefore, the coupling areas of the pumping optical fiber and the active optical fiber are distributed on the active optical fiber in series, and the coupling areas are dispersed, so that the heat dissipation space is increased, the heat accumulation density is reduced, and the power upper limit of the beam combiner is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the field of optical fiber communication, in particular to an optical fiber combiner. Background Art

[0002] Fiber combiners can be divided into two categories based on their function: power combiners and pump combiners. Power combiners combine multiple single-mode laser beams into a single fiber output to increase the laser's output power. They are also called single-mode-multimode fiber combiners. Pump combiners combine multiple pump beams into a single fiber output to increase pump power. They are also called multimode-multimode fiber combiners.

[0003] Whether it's a power combiner or a pump combiner, both require fusion splicing of optical fibers. A fiber combiner is a fiber optic device based on a fused-tapered fiber bundle. It strips the coating from a bundle of optical fibers, arranges them in a predetermined pattern, and then heats them at high temperatures to melt them. Simultaneously, the bundle is stretched in opposite directions, melting the heated areas of the fibers to form a fused-tapered bundle.

[0004] Chinese patent ZL202022858193.8 discloses an optical fiber combiner, an aluminum alloy heat sink, and a quartz packaging substrate. The heat sink includes a heat sink base and a heat sink cover, and the packaging substrate includes a packaging base and a packaging cover.

[0005] The main factors that restrict the performance of optical fiber combiners are the stray laser caused by coupling loss and the waste light at the coating interface, which turn into waste heat inside the device, burn the optical fiber, and thus damage the combiner.

[0006] Specifically, light that enters the cladding due to splicing defects, coupling errors, or beam quality issues will leak out at the incident end, generating a large amount of heat, which may burn the coating or even cause damage to the optical fiber.

[0007] Existing pump combiners combine multiple pump lights simultaneously into a single optical fiber for output. With only one taper fusion point, heat is concentrated, which can easily burn the pump combiner and suppress the upper power limit of the pump combiner.

[0008] Fiber amplifiers in existing technologies require pumps and active fibers. Multi-channel pumps combine the beams and fuse them with the active fibers. High-power lasers generate severe heat at the fusion point, which can easily damage the fusion point. Utility Model Content

[0009] The utility model aims to provide an optical fiber combiner capable of improving testing and packaging efficiency.

[0010] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of the present utility model is as follows.

[0011] The optical fiber combiner comprises an optical fiber, a packaging substrate made of quartz material and a housing made of metal material.

[0012] The optical fiber includes an active optical fiber and a pump optical fiber; the pump optical fiber is coupled and connected with the active optical fiber in series; and the pump optical fiber and the active optical fiber are connected through side coupling.

[0013] It can be seen that the coupling areas of the pump fiber and the active fiber are distributed in series on the active fiber, and the coupling areas are dispersed, which is beneficial to increase the heat dissipation space, reduce the heat accumulation density, and increase the power upper limit of the combiner.

[0014] Furthermore, the coupling region between the pump fiber and the active fiber is packaged through a packaging substrate and a housing.

[0015] The coupling area is provided with good mechanical protection, which is beneficial to improving the heat dissipation efficiency of the coupling area.

[0016] Furthermore, the packaging substrate includes a bottom plate and a cover plate; the shell includes a base body and a cover body.

[0017] A sink for placing optical fibers is provided on the bottom plate.

[0018] Along the length direction of the optical fiber combiner, the input end of the active optical fiber is located on a first side of the housing, and the output end of the active optical fiber is located on a second side of the housing opposite to the first side.

[0019] The active optical fiber includes a core, a cladding located outside the core, and a coating located outside the cladding.

[0020] A notch is provided on the coating layer, and the cladding layer is exposed from the notch; and the coupling area is filled with light-guiding glue.

[0021] It is beneficial for light leakage in the coupling area to be guided into the base plate, and the package substrate guides heat energy to the shell, further reducing the risk of heat accumulation and burning.

[0022] Furthermore, a gap is provided between the packaging substrate and the metal housing, and the gap is filled with a graphene thermal conductive gasket.

[0023] The graphene thermal pad has high thermal conductivity and elasticity, allowing it to adhere well to the package substrate and housing, quickly transferring heat from the package substrate to the housing. The graphene thermal pad has a high thermal conductivity within its own plane, rapidly transferring heat along its surface and evenly distributing it across the entire surface. This is particularly beneficial for package substrates with localized heat accumulation. Furthermore, the graphene thermal pad is a dark black material that absorbs residual light from the quartz package substrate and converts it directly into heat within the substrate, accelerating the transfer of heat to the housing.

[0024] Furthermore, the graphene thermal conductive gasket includes a lower gasket between the lower side of the base plate and the base body, and an upper gasket between the upper side of the cover plate and the cover body.

[0025] The upper and lower gaskets occupy the largest area of ​​the package substrate, which can efficiently dissipate heat and facilitate installation.

[0026] Furthermore, preferably, the bottom plate and the cover plate are bonded together, which facilitates heat conduction from the bottom plate to the cover plate through heat transfer, thereby improving heat dissipation efficiency.

[0027] Furthermore, the bottom plate and the cover plate are connected as one body via light-guiding adhesive.

[0028] The light from the bottom plate can directly enter the cover plate, which is beneficial to improving the heat dissipation uniformity and efficiency.

[0029] Furthermore, the input end and the output end are fixed to the bottom plate by UV glue, which facilitates the installation and positioning of the optical fiber.

[0030] Furthermore, the base and the cover are fixed by screws, which makes the structure simple and effective, and facilitates the compression of the graphene thermal pad.

[0031] Furthermore, the cladding is a double-cladding structure, which is beneficial to improving the absorption rate of the pump light. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 This is a top view of the optical fiber combiner of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic cross-section at AA. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the optical fiber combiner 100 includes an optical fiber 10, a packaging substrate 20 made of quartz material, and a housing 30 made of metal material.

[0036] The optical fiber 10 includes an active optical fiber 11 and a pump optical fiber 12 .

[0037] The pump fiber 12 is coupled to the active fiber 11 in series; the pump fiber 12 and the active fiber 11 are connected by side coupling.

[0038] Preferably, the coupling region 115 of the pump fiber 12 and the active fiber 11 is packaged by a packaging substrate and a housing.

[0039] Preferably, the packaging substrate 20 includes a bottom plate 21 and a cover plate 22 ; the housing 30 includes a base 31 and a cover 32 .

[0040] A sink 211 for placing the optical fiber 10 is provided on the bottom plate 21 .

[0041] Along the length direction 01 of the fiber combiner 100 , the input end 101 of the active fiber 11 is located on the first side 33 of the housing 30 , and the output end 102 of the active fiber 11 is located on the second side 34 of the housing 30 opposite to the first side 33 .

[0042] The active optical fiber 11 includes a core 111 , a cladding 112 located outside the core 111 , and a coating 113 located outside the cladding 112 .

[0043] The coating layer 113 is provided with a notch 1131, through which the cladding 112 is exposed. The coupling region 115 is filled with a light-guiding adhesive. The original outer diameter of the cladding of the active optical fiber 11 on the output end 102 side is approximately 250 microns. The outer diameter of the cladding 112 is preferably between 110 and 135 microns, and more preferably 130 microns. The core 111 is preferably between 14 and 30 microns.

[0044] Preferably, a gap 40 is provided between the packaging substrate 20 and the metal housing 30 , and the gap 40 is filled with a graphene thermal conductive pad 41 .

[0045] Preferably, the graphene thermal conductive gasket 41 includes a lower gasket 411 between the lower side of the base plate 21 and the base body 31 , and an upper gasket 412 between the upper side of the cover plate 22 and the cover body 32 .

[0046] Preferably, the bottom plate 21 and the cover plate 22 are bonded together.

[0047] Preferably, the bottom plate 21 and the cover plate 22 are connected as one body via light-guiding adhesive.

[0048] Preferably, the input end 101 and the output end 102 are fixed on the bottom plate 21 respectively by ultraviolet glue.

[0049] Preferably, the base body 31 and the cover body 32 are fixed by screws.

[0050] The housing 30 is preferably made of an aluminum alloy.

[0051] Preferably, the cladding 112 is a single cladding or double cladding structure.

[0052] Preferably, the coupling regions 115 between the pump fibers 12 and the active fibers 11 are not limited to two, but may be three or more, that is, at least three groups of pump fibers 12 are coupled in series with the active fibers 11 .

[0053] The packaging substrate 20 and the housing 30 of the present application are not limited to being separate, but can also be integrated, and the same set of packaging substrate 20 and housing 30 can simultaneously package all coupling areas.

[0054] Side coupling technologies include V-groove side pump coupling, embedded reflector coupling, angled side coupling and clustered fused tapered side coupling.

[0055] The side coupling of the present application is preferably a fused taper side coupling technology, wherein the pump fiber is used to connect to the pump, and the input end 1101 of the active fiber 11 is used to connect to the signal fiber of the seed laser to amplify the laser signal.

[0056] The above is a detailed description of the present invention in conjunction with specific embodiments, and the specific implementation methods of the present invention should not be considered to be limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art of the present invention, if a number of equivalent substitutions or obvious modifications are made without departing from the concept of the present invention and the performance or use are the same, they should be considered to fall within the scope of patent protection of the present invention as determined by the submitted claims.

Claims

1. An optical fiber combiner (100), comprising an optical fiber (10), a packaging substrate (20) made of quartz material, and a housing (30) made of metal material, characterized in that: The optical fiber (10) includes an active optical fiber (11) and a pump optical fiber (12); The pump optical fiber (12) is coupled and connected in series with the active optical fiber (11); The pump optical fiber (12) and the active optical fiber (11) are connected via side coupling.

2. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coupling region (115) of the pump optical fiber (12) and the active optical fiber (11) is packaged through the packaging substrate and the housing.

3. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that: The packaging substrate (20) comprises a bottom plate (21) and a cover plate (22); The housing (30) comprises a base (31) and a cover (32); The bottom plate (21) is provided with a sink (211) for placing the optical fiber (10); Along the length direction (01) of the optical fiber combiner (100), the input end (101) of the active optical fiber (11) is located on a first side (33) of the housing (30), and the output end (102) of the active optical fiber (11) is located on a second side (34) of the housing (30) opposite to the first side (33); The active optical fiber (11) comprises a core (111), a cladding (112) located outside the core (111), and a coating (113) located outside the cladding (112); The coating layer (113) is provided with a notch (1131), and the cladding layer (112) is exposed from the notch (1131); The coupling region (115) is filled with light-guiding glue.

4. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that: A gap (40) is provided between the packaging substrate (20) and the metal housing (30), and the gap (40) is filled with a graphene thermal conductive pad (41).

5. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to claim 4, characterized in that: The graphene thermally conductive gasket (41) comprises a lower gasket (411) between the lower side of the base plate (21) and the seat body (31), and an upper gasket (412) between the upper side of the cover plate (22) and the cover body (32).

6. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bottom plate (21) and the cover plate (22) are bonded together.

7. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to claim 6, characterized in that: The bottom plate (21) and the cover plate (22) are connected as one body via light-guiding adhesive.

8. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that: The input end (101) and the output end (102) are respectively fixed on the bottom plate (21) by ultraviolet glue.

9. The optical fiber combiner (100) according to any one of claims 3 to 8, characterized in that: The cladding (112) is a double cladding structure.

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